Page 25 - LanGuide Project: Research and Professional Insights
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Background to LanGuide Language-Learning Framework
atic. Consequently, should the learners make a grammar mistake in the
language they learn, Duolingo indicates where the mistake occurred, but
learners must work out the rule on their own or refer to other sources,
such as dictionaries and grammar books. Another difficulty they observe
regards pronunciation of new words, which are sometimes presented only
in their written form without any audio input. In many languages (such as
English and French), homographs do not always have the same pronunci-
ation, which can create dilemmas for learners. In standard learning, when
introducing new vocabulary, the teacher must always accompany the writ-
ten shape of the word with its pronunciation (p. 95). Moreover, they also
point to a major downside to how Duolingo ‘uses one language to teach
another one’ (p. 95). If one wants to learn English, for example, it is neces-
sary to know the language of instruction for the English course, since the
course is delivered only in a few languages. This can limit the number of
the app’s users.
In fact, English is the language of instruction for the majority of other
target languages and this poses another problem. Namely, if learners learn
the target language through a second language, they are always prone to be
dependent on the second language and may never be fully able to express
themselves in the newly learned third language (Carreres, 2006). Further-
more, they suggest that the Duolingo app can go some way as extra practice
complimenting regular classroom instruction. However, its approaches de-
velop mainly a receptive language knowledge, which can collide with the
requirements for productive language use promoted in modern language
teaching (p. 97).
Similar observations are made by a number of researchers in regard
to other mobile apps. Loewen et al. (2020) discuss the Babbel language-
learning application and note that the tool can considerably improve users’
receptive second-language knowledge, while the degree of improvements
in productive and/or communicative language abilities remains less clear.
Indeed, considerable doubt has been expressed in the sl a literature on the
c all pedagogy in general, as to whether meaningful development of oral
language abilities is possible in the context of commercial online language
learning platforms (e.g. Lord, 2015). To date, little is known about how well
technology-mediated self-study packages work or under what conditions
they can result in productive sl a resources.
In their findings, Sofkova Hashemi et al. (2017) also highlight that most
currently available packages for mobile language learning tend to be dom-
inated by behaviourist approaches to developing language skills, since the
25
atic. Consequently, should the learners make a grammar mistake in the
language they learn, Duolingo indicates where the mistake occurred, but
learners must work out the rule on their own or refer to other sources,
such as dictionaries and grammar books. Another difficulty they observe
regards pronunciation of new words, which are sometimes presented only
in their written form without any audio input. In many languages (such as
English and French), homographs do not always have the same pronunci-
ation, which can create dilemmas for learners. In standard learning, when
introducing new vocabulary, the teacher must always accompany the writ-
ten shape of the word with its pronunciation (p. 95). Moreover, they also
point to a major downside to how Duolingo ‘uses one language to teach
another one’ (p. 95). If one wants to learn English, for example, it is neces-
sary to know the language of instruction for the English course, since the
course is delivered only in a few languages. This can limit the number of
the app’s users.
In fact, English is the language of instruction for the majority of other
target languages and this poses another problem. Namely, if learners learn
the target language through a second language, they are always prone to be
dependent on the second language and may never be fully able to express
themselves in the newly learned third language (Carreres, 2006). Further-
more, they suggest that the Duolingo app can go some way as extra practice
complimenting regular classroom instruction. However, its approaches de-
velop mainly a receptive language knowledge, which can collide with the
requirements for productive language use promoted in modern language
teaching (p. 97).
Similar observations are made by a number of researchers in regard
to other mobile apps. Loewen et al. (2020) discuss the Babbel language-
learning application and note that the tool can considerably improve users’
receptive second-language knowledge, while the degree of improvements
in productive and/or communicative language abilities remains less clear.
Indeed, considerable doubt has been expressed in the sl a literature on the
c all pedagogy in general, as to whether meaningful development of oral
language abilities is possible in the context of commercial online language
learning platforms (e.g. Lord, 2015). To date, little is known about how well
technology-mediated self-study packages work or under what conditions
they can result in productive sl a resources.
In their findings, Sofkova Hashemi et al. (2017) also highlight that most
currently available packages for mobile language learning tend to be dom-
inated by behaviourist approaches to developing language skills, since the
25
